Gunner Palace (2004)

Directors:

Petra Epperlein
Michael Tucker

Release Date:

4 March 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | War

Tagline:

Some war stories will never make the nightly news.

Plot:

American soldiers of the 2/3 Field Artillery, a group known as the "Gunners," tell of their experiences in Baghdad during the Iraq War. Holed up in a bombed out pleasure palace built by Sadaam Hussein, the soldiers endured hostile situations some four months after President George W. Bush declared the end of major combat operations in the country. |

Plot Keywords:

Army | Gulf War | Iraq War | Iraq | Military

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Bryant Davis	...	Himself
Devon Dixon	...	Himself
Javorn Drummond	...	Himself
Elliot Lovett	...	Himself
Nick Moncrief	...	Himself
Jon Powers	...	Himself
Richmond Shaw	...	Himself
Terry Taylor	...	Himself
Stuart Wilf	...	Himself

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 on appeal for strong language throughout, violent situations and some drug references.

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Canada:14A | USA:PG-13 (re-rating on appeal) | USA:R (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Baghdad, Iraq

Company:

Nomados

Trivia:

During a raid on a house, several Iraqi men, brothers, are captured. One of them protests, saying (in English) that he is a journalist. Some of the soldiers tell him to shut up, and he is taken away. As it turns out, this man was indeed a journalist, Yunis Khatayer Abbas. He spent time in jail, some at Abu Ghraib, suspected of plotting to assassinate British PM Tony Blair. After nine months of imprisonment, he was released, and the US has not charged him with any crime. By coincidence, Michael Tucker, the director of "Gunner Palace," heard about Mr. Abbas' story, and worked together to make his latest movie, "The Prisoner, or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair."

Quotes:

SGT Beatty: When you sit on your couch and you watch the TV, and you go to your 9 to 5 job and you complain about the pizza being late ... there's no way you're gonna know how to live here.
SGT Beatty: Someone being sympathetic to this? I don't know if I'd be sympathetic if I wasn't in the army. After you watch this, you're gonna go get your popcorn out of the microwave and talk about what I said, and you'll forget me by the end of this.
SGT Beatty: Only people who remember this is us.

Movie Connections:

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A Must See

This is one of the greatest documentaries ever made. It deals with the young men and women who are overseas in Iraq fighting the ongoing war on terrorism. It's not about violence, or hatred, or glory; just about truth. A lot of movies and documentaries give the impression of the director; this film lets the soldiers do the talking. It concentrates on the 2/3 Field Artillery Unit or the 1st Armored Division, stationed in Giessen, Germany, also known as the 'Gunners'. This unit spent close to a year an a half stationed in Iraq, most of which was spent living in Uday Hussein's palace, renamed Gunner Palace. It takes you through the daily life and routine of an American soldier fighting in Iraq. It deals not only with the military aspect of their days and nights, but also with their down time, and how soldiers cope with the realities of war. It's a very emotional documentary that shows what these good men and women serving our country are truly like. Keep tabs on this movie, when it comes out it's going to snowball into something huge. On a side note, the soundtrack was provided by the soldier's themselves; a majority of which is given through freestyle rap; a common way for many of the soldiers to express their inner most emotions. If a soundtrack accompanies the movie… it to will be a must buy.